March 2013 Pathology 451: Clerkship in Laboratory Medicine & Infection Control A health-care background is required to enroll in this course as well as permission from the Course Coordinators. Pathology 451 is a mentored study course and takes place in a health- care setting. There is no on-line component (as with Path 427/467/477) to this course nor is classroom attendance at UBC required. The intent of the practicum is to provide a practical experience in infection control.

UBC requires that students register for a specific academic term. However, the practicum can be flexible and organized to accommodate your schedule while meeting the requirements for a 3 credit course. It should be noted that the experience will require your attendance with your mentor during regular working hours. The course is offered in 4 different terms. The course credit and tuition are the same for all 4 terms. The only difference is the period of time you have to complete the course.

Term: Completion/submission deadline: 1 and 2 September-April April 30 1 only September-December December 30 2 only January-April April 30 Summer May-August August 20

1. The practicum may only be taken after completion of Pathology 427 and 467. 2. The practicum must take place in an institution pre-approved by the Course Co- coordinators. 3. It is the responsibility of the student to secure a mentor, who must be pre-approved by the Course Coordinators. The Course Coordinators may assist in mentor selection at their discretion. Examples of appropriate mentors: Senior Infection Control Practitioner; Medical Microbiology Physician; Infectious Disease Physician. (see “Criteria for Mentors” below). 4. The student must submit an Approval Request Form to the Program Assistant, including a short detail of the intended practicum project. This will be reviewed by the Course Coordinators. 5. The practicum must follow option (A) or (B) below:

A. A basic infection control practicum where an Infection Control Professional will mentor the student and ensure that the fundamentals of infection control are introduced. These include a) surveillance, ii) education, iii) policy and procedure development and iv) consultation. The principles of outbreak investigation will also be included, although it is recognized that an actual outbreak may not occur during the time of the practicum. The student must have a clear understanding of the appropriate application of infection control principles with an emphasis on barrier use. The student will submit a log of daily activities, experiences, and observations and produce a more detailed report of approximately 10 pages (double-spaced, font Times New Roman 12) on a particular activity or topic of infection control interest. The expected contact time with the mentor should be 45 hours; an additional 40 hours of time is expected for associated reading and report writing. OR B. An in-depth review of an infection control topic. This practicum is for individuals who have had at least one year of infection control experience. Students will

0a15cac37e85c76fb200455bd13d17e1.doc March 2013 select a topic with the assistance of their mentor (e.g. device related infections, respiratory communicable diseases, construction in the health care setting) for review of the literature and a report. The report will be between 15 to 20 pages (double spaced, font Times New Roman 12) and should include a detailed critical analysis of the subject. It should also include the student’s opinions on any controversial elements. The mentor must be pre-approved by the course co- coordinators and will be expected to lead discussions with the student. Expected contact time with the mentor is 18-26 hours. Expected length of the independent study is 65 hours (including reading and report writing).

Assignment of grades for Path 451 To satisfy the course requirements each student must:  Option A: maintain and submit a daily diary (see sample format end of document) o the daily diary should record experiences of the person doing the practicum - what they saw or encountered in the designated days and most importantly their reflections on what they saw. Critical thinking should be reflected in the document.  Option B: maintain and submit a diary (see sample format at end of document) of your time (detail of dates and times met with mentor, a few sentences highlighting your discussions, notes on how the project was chosen, how you will approach it, etc. o the daily diary should record experiences of the person doing the practicum - what they saw or encountered in the designated days and most importantly their reflections on what they saw. Critical thinking should be reflected in the document.  submit a written report on a project or infection control situation they were involved in.

These will be read and reviewed by the Course Coordinators.

The final mark will be based on:

Mentor Evaluation (15%) Work and Effort (15%) Information gathering, problem solving and comprehension This mark comprises 30% of the course grade and is based solely on the supervisor/mentor feedback. Students will be evaluated on the following aspects:  effort put into the project;  initiative;  comprehension;  problem solving and ability to independently research topics.

Course Coordinators’ Evaluation (30%) Assessment of Journal (40%) Review of Report This mark comprises 70% of the course.

Registration This course is blocked from registration. Registration will be completed by the Program Assistant once the student has:

0a15cac37e85c76fb200455bd13d17e1.doc March 2013  Completed the Approval Request Form (available from the Program Assistant) and received approval from the Course Coordinators;  paid the pre-registration deposit on-line

Criteria for Mentors

It is the responsibility of the student to secure a mentor.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that any Affiliation Agreements, Student Placement Agreements or other permissions/documentation required by the institution where the practicum will be carried out are in place prior to registering for the course.

These criteria reflect mentorship skills that are related to experience, knowledge and accessibility to provide general guidance as to mentorship selection for the students in the Pathology 451 practicum.

Knowledge  A background in infection control with at least five years in the field*  Degree, Diploma or Certificate obtained from a substantive course devoted to infection control (e.g. UBC Infection Control Certificate; Medical Microbiology or Infectious Diseases Fellowship, Physician Epidemiologist, CBIC certification)

Skill  Professional involvement in Hospital infection control in the laboratory, public health field and/or clinical unit/facility  Experience in teaching and education to professional healthcare workers  Participation in an infection control structure such as a local Infection Control Committee or Unit, local Infection Control Practitioners association, Epidemiology Practice Group  Active membership of a Society or Association whose activities substantially include or are primarily in the field of infection control or infection (e.g. AMMI, CHICA Canada)  Involvement in the formulation of infection control policies or procedures

Examples of practical experience in the field of infection control are: • a full-time or part-time appointment as an Infection Control Officer or Medical Microbiologist or Epidemiologist for 5 years • a full-time or part-time appointment as an Infection Control Practitioners for 5 years

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